Field
The present invention relates to a coupling device for releasable connection of a medical or dental handpiece to a drive unit or to a supply tubing.
Description of Prior Art
Such coupling devices are used for transfer of signals, data, energy, light, a drive movement and/or a working medium, in particular a fluid between two medical or dental devices. One of the devices here is preferably designed as a dental handpiece or contra-angle handpiece for connection of medical, in particular dental tools, which preferably serve to treat hard or soft tissue or for introducing implants. The term “handpieces” is understood to include straight, curved or gun-shaped handpieces as well as parts of handpieces, adapters, diagnostic devices and light probes. The handpieces or contra-angle handpieces are preferably connected to a second coupling part, which is preferably disposed on a medical or dental drive unit or on a supply tubing through the coupling device, in particular through a first coupling part of the coupling device, in order to drive the medical tools by an electric motor disposed in the drive unit. During operation of the medical tools, these tools as well as the handpieces or contra-angle handpieces are to be supplied with working media, for example, spray air and/or spray water for cooling or with electric energy. These media are supplied by a dental unit in particular and sent to the drive unit or to the handpiece or contra-angle handpiece through a supply line via the coupling device.
For transfer of data and energy, the coupling devices often have electric contacts or induction coils. The coils here are preferably disposed in the interior of the coupling parts of the coupling device, in particular in a sleeve wall, in a coupling journal or behind a coupling journal base of the coupling device.
Such a coupling device having a first and second coupling element for supplying the handpiece with a drive movement, working media and with data and energy is known in particular from EP 2 581 061 A1: a positioning element is disposed on one of the two coupling elements of the coupling device in order to position both coupling elements in a defined angular position to one another. A memory unit is disposed in the positioning element for saving instrument-related data. The transfer of data from the memory unit to the other coupling element preferably takes place here via a hardwired system and a second electric contact in a recess on the other coupling element. The positioning element and the recess additionally each have an induction coil for wireless transfer of energy, preferably for a light source in the handpiece.
One disadvantage of this design of the coupling device has proven to be the transfer of instrument-related data from the memory unit by an electric contact and the transfer of energy for an electric component by an induction coil in the positioning element of the coupling device.
In a simultaneous transfer of energy and data, all the components situated in the area of the electric contacts and the induction coils must be made of electrically non-conductive materials in order not to endanger the transfer of energy and data through the opposing fields generated in the electrically conductive components. With the arrangement of an electric contact, an electric line and an induction coil in the positioning element, such as that known in the state of the art, there is thus the risk that opposing electric or magnetic fields, which threaten the transfer of energy and data between the two coupling elements, are created through the electrically conductive components.
Shielding of the electrically conductive components for the transfer of energy and data has also proven to be a disadvantage based on increased cost for the expensive shielding as well as based on the associated greater space required for the data and energy transfer.
The limited transfer of data and energy is another disadvantage of the embodiment known from the state of the art. The arrangement of the electric contacts and the induction coils in the positioning element and the recess does make it possible to design existing coupling devices, in particular dental handpieces for sending and receiving data and energy due to the standardized design size of the positioning element, but for reasons of space, a transfer of energy and data is possible only to a limited extent. In particular, various data and signals, for example, information about the length of a root canal, sensor data or identification signals can be transferred only serially from the one coupling element to the other coupling element of the coupling device by the known coupling device.